Firearms such as rifles, shotguns, pistols, and revolvers with integral or removable barrels function by discharging a projectile, such as a bullet, at a target. In each type of firearm, a cartridge or round is first loaded, manually or automatically, into a proximal chamber at a breech end of the barrel. Then, a firing pin strikes a primer located in the base of the cartridge casing, igniting an explosive propellant that produces highly pressurized gases to propel a projectile or bullet out of the cartridge casing. The bullet then travels within a central, longitudinal bore of the barrel and exits out a distal end called a muzzle.
As the bullet exits the muzzle, the highly pressurized gases quickly expand into the relatively low-pressure atmosphere, producing an audible, muzzle blast and a visual, muzzle flash. During both Military and Law Enforcement operations it is advantageous to suppress the muzzle flash from potential adversaries in order to conceal a shooter's position and gain a tactical advantage.
Firearms are known to incorporate muzzle blast suppressors and/or flash suppressors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,844,422, entitled “Suppressor For Reducing The Muzzle Blast and Flash of a Firearm” discloses several examples of apparatuses for suppressing the blast and flash produced as a projectile is expelled from a firearm.